Rule 29: The value of starter cards.

It would be hard to overstate the importance of В«starting cardsВ» in poker. To
the casual observer (or novice), this might not seem to be the case. Indeed,
why would it? After all (they might think), a good hand could develop at any
point during the hand, couldn't it? On the fifth card, or the sixth or seventh,
and so on. So this might not seem logical. (And this is – needless to say –
how bad players play the game.) Furthermore, they might argue, how can a
hand «develop» if you don't give it a chance? How can it, if you keep cutting
it off early, and folding, before it can develop into anything?
The explanation is this: If you operate without regard to your starter
cards, you will often be В«running behindВ» your opponents. For example, a
player who has four low cards (in a low-ball game, say i is В«aheadВ» of you if
you only have three low cards. Over hundreds of hands dealt, his В«better
startВ» will soon manifest itself and make him victorious.
This law can be generally applied throughout life. Go into situations
where advantages lean in your direction at the beginning. While this is still
no guarantee of success, it will mean that you are not being penalized from
the very start of the process fighting an uphill battle from day one.